Spool holder for twisting machine or the like

ABSTRACT

An assembly of thread-dispensing units, mounted on a common spindle bank, include each a spindle with a rotating throwoff disk beneath a magnetically arrested tubular spool holder through which the thread of one or more spools is guided downwardly for passage through the disk hub whence it emerges generally radially to form a balloon enveloping the spool or spools. A housing with an upwardly diverging inner peripheral wall, of circular outline at the bottom and square outline at the top, surrounds the spool holder with sufficient clearance to remain out of contact with the ballooning thread while preventing any entanglement of threads from adjoining units in the case of a rupture.

United States Patent Greive [54] SPOOL HOLDER FOR TWISTING MACHINE OR THE LIKE [72] Inventor: Aloys Greive, Munster, Westphalia,

G rma y llarnmel GmbH Zwirnerei-und Spinnereimachinen, Munster. Westphalia, Germany [22] Filed: May4, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 34,007

[73] Assignee:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 13, 1969 Germany ..P 19 24 508.0

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,159,962 12/1964 Franzen ..57/58.83 X

[ Mar. 14, 1972 Primary Examiner-John Petrakes AttorneyKarl F. Ross [5 7] ABSTRACT An assembly of thread-dispensing units, mounted on a common spindle bank, include each a spindle with a rotating throwoff disk beneath a magnetically arrested tubular spool holder through which the thread of one or more spools is guided downwardly for passage through the disk hub whence it emerges generally radially to form a balloon enveloping the spool or spools. A housing with an upwardly diverging inner peripheral wall, of circular outline at the bottom and square outline at the top, surrounds the spool] holder with sufficient clearance to remain out of contact with the ballooning thread while preventing any entanglement of threads from adjoining units in the case of a rupture.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEBMAR 14 I972 SHEET 1 BF 3 FIG.IB

INVENTOR:

ATTORNEY PATENTEDHAR 14 I972 SHKET 2 OF 3 J b L w T m V m ALOYS GREIVE 0v: (Raft i? ATTORNEY PATENTEDMAR I 4 I972 3, 4 ,449

SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOK A LOYS 6 RE IVE r (P415 CHM I ATTORNEY SPOOL IIIUlLlDlER FOR TWISTIING MACHINE 01R TIIIIE lLllllflE My present invention relates to a spool holder for twisting, spinning or similar machines wherein a number of threaddispensing units are mounted on a common spindle bank in which a like number of upright spindles are journaled for concurrent rotation.

In an assembly of this sort it is known to provide each spindle with a so-called throwoff or ejector disk which rotates with the spindle about the axis of the latter and in turn carries a tubular spool support held against rotation by magnetic detents. One or more threads drawn from a corresponding number of spools on this support pass downwardly through the tube, usually by way of the upwardly projecting hollow spindle, into a hub of the throwoff disk from which they exit via a lateral orifice at the underside of the disk, preparatorily to being guided upwardly past the disk rim to a point above the support for delivery to a windup bobbin or the like. This results in the twisting of a single thread or the intertwining of plural threads, the rising thread portion ballooning about the spool or spools while revolving at the speed of the disk around the spindle axis.

If the ballooning threads are unconfined, the units must be sufficiently separated to prevent entanglement, particularly in the case of thread rupture. Also, the presence of a multiplicity of freely revolving threads generates a draft which may be unpleasant to the operators. While these drawbacks may be avoided by confining each balloon in an upwardly open cylindrical can, the frictional contact between the can and the thread tends to degrade the latter and to give rise to swirling lint and dust articles. This is particularly true of synthetic filaments and may be detrimental to the health of the operators, especially in the case of dye-impregnated resins.

The general object of my invention, therefore, is to provide an improved spool holder for the aforedescribed purpose which eliminates these disadvantages.

A more specific object is to provide a compact assembly for a group of thread-dispensing units in which the individual thread balloons are effectively separated from one another with relatively close spacing yet without physical contact between the revolving thread and a surrounding enclosure.

l have found, in accordance with my present invention, that effective confinement of the ballooning thread without physical contact is possible by enclosing the spool support within an upwardly widening housing whose inner peripheral wall, advantageously, has a circular outline in the region of the disk and a prismatic, preferably square outline at its open top. By leaving a narrow annular gap for the thread between the rim of the disk and the surrounding housing wall, and by fairing this wall upwardly into a prismatic shape with an inscribed circle of larger diameter than this gap, I am able to maintain a certain clearance between the thread and the housing and to create a substantially laminar airflow along at least the lower portion of this wall. The resulting boundary layer, in keeping the thread away from the wall surface, somewhat reduces the balloon diameter for a given spindle velocity and thread weight.

With this housing configuration there is also provided a convenient location for accommodating a set of outer magnets serving to hold the spool support against rotation. If the outer housing surface is prismatic, as is desirable for manufacturing and assembling purposes, the bottom portion of its wall is appreciably enlarged at the corners of the prismatic contour so that the magnets can be readily imbedded in the wall at these corners. The magnets are advantageously located just above the level of the throwoff disk so that their counterparts on the spool support may be disposed below the spool body within the contour of the disk. Thus, the spool support may include a tubular central post surrounded by a cylindrical sleeve or cup to form therewith an annular chamber, the base of this sleeve being substantially coextensive with the disk and receiving the inner magnets confronting the stationary outer magnets. It is to be understood that only one magnetic element of any confronting pair need be permanently magnetized and that the other element could be a soft-iron armature. Also, electromagnets could be used in lieu of permanent magnets as is well known per se.

The above and other features of my invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional elevation, taken on the line lA-IA of FIG. 2A, of a thread-dispensing unit embodying the invention;

FIG. IB is a view similar to FIG. 1A, taken on the line IB IB of FIG. 2B and showing a modification;

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IIA-IIA of FIG. 1A, showing the same unit together with portions of adjacent units;

FIG. 2B is a view similar to FIG. 2A taken on the line lIB- IIB ofFIG. 11B; and

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a series of units of the type shown in FIGS. IA and 2A.

In FIGS. IA and 2A I have illustrated part of a spindle bank 10, also shown in FIG. 3, supporting a spindle 114 which carries a pulley 116 to be driven by a transmission belt from a power shaft not shown. Spindle I4 is rigid with a throwoff disk 42 having a hub 40 provided with a lateral exit orifice 38 from which a thread 48 is continuously discharged. Thread 48 is composed from two filaments 30, 32 drawn off a pair of spools 26, 28 which are removably seated on a tubular post 17 of a spool holder generally designated I8; the spool holder also comprises a cylindrical cup I9 which coaxially surrounds the post 17 and defines therewith an annular spool chamber 21, the base 23 of cup 119 being substantially of the same diameter as the disk 42 from which it is separated by a small clearance as it rests on an upward extension 41 of hub 40.

A narrow annular gap 20 is formed between the disk 42 and the base 23, on the one hand, and a surrounding housing 58, on the other hand, which is fixedly supported on spindle bank by a pedestal Ill. Housing 58 has an inner peripheral wall which in its bottom portion 68 is generally frustoconical up to a level 60 (FIG. 3) and is then faired, between levels 60 and 62, into a prismatic upper portion 76 of square outline. Between cup 13 and housing 58, the thread 48 rises in the form of a balloon 44 swirling about the cup 18 without touching either that cup or the housing. The thread then passes through an eye 46 in line with the axis of the hollow spindle 14 whose tip 34 receives the filaments 30, 32 from spools 28, 26 to lead them axially through the post 17 into the hub whence they emerge at orifice 38.

An assembly of detent magnets 22, 24 holds the spool support 18 against rotary entrainment by the disk 42. The inner magnets 22 are imbedded in the cup bottom 23 whereas the outer magnets 24 are lodged in the thickened wall portions of housing 58 at the corners of its rectangular outline. (Although the housings of adjacent units are shown merged into an integral structure, this outline will be apparent from imaginary parting lines 81, 32 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.) Thus, the magnet pairs 22, 24 come to lie at the diagonals of the square as best seen in FIG. 2A.

In FIGS. 18 and 2B, which show a modified cup 19 in an otherwise similar unit, magnets 22', 24' in the shape of vertical disks replace the horizontally disposed bar magnets 22, 24 of FIGS. IA and 2A. In each case, the exposed surfaces of the magnets should be curved so as to be flush with the adjacent surfaces of their respective carriers.

One side of each housing 58, shown at 78 in FIGS. 18 and 3, is raised above the other sides to form a parting wall between adjoining units. Also, as best seen in FIG. 3, each housing is split at one side of the spindle bank llill (generally the operators side) to form a vertical slit 74 giving access to the orifice 33 (in an aligned position of spindle 114) to facilitate the positioning of the thread within the space between spool support 18 and housing 58.

The entire housing structure, generally designated 72 in FIG. 3, can be molded or cast from synthetic resin or light metal.

I claim:

1. A thread-spinning machine with a plurality of dispensing units mounted in a row in a common spindle bank, comprisan integral elongate structure supported on said bank, said structure being subdivided into longitudinally adjoining portions of substantially square outline forming respective housings for said units;

a plurality of hollow rotatable spindles rising centrally into said housings from said bank;

a throwoff disk rigid with each spindle the bottom of its housing;

a tubular spool support carried on each spindle above said disk with all-around separation from the inner peripheral wall surface of the respective housing;

guide means in each housing for drawing thread from a spool on said support and directing said thread downwardly therethrough along the axis thereof, said disk having a hollow hub accessible from the interior of the associated spindle for receiving said thread and a lateral orifice for the discharge of said thread along the underside of the disk;

drive means for rotating said spindles along with their throwoff disks whereby said thread balloons about its spool on being drawn upwardly past the rim of said disk, said inner peripheral wall diverging upwardly from an annular gap around said disk to an extent sufiicient to remain out of contact with the ballooning thread;

magnetic retaining elements embedded in said structure at respective comers of said substantially square outline of said portions near the bottoms of said housings; and

cooperating magnetic elements on the spool supports in said housings respectively confronting said retaining elements for preventing rotary entrainment of said supports by said spindles.

2. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein each unit includes two pairs of said magnetic retaining elements and two confronting pairs of said cooperating elements disposed at the diagonals of said substantially square outline.

3. A machine as defined in claim lwherein said peripheral wall is of circular outline in the region of said disk and define therewith said annular gap.

4. A machine as defined in claim 3 wherein said peripheral wall is faired into a prismatic shape above the level of said disk and said retaining elements.

5. A machine as defined in claim 4 wherein the prism defined by said peripheral wall has a square outline with an inscribed circle of larger diameter than said gap.

6. A machine as defined in claim 4 wherein a side of the prismatic peripheral wall between adjoining units is raised above the remainder of said housing and beyond the top of said support, the housings of two adjacent units being separated by said raised side.

7. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said cooperating magnetic elements is disposed within the contour of the respective disk.

8. A machine as defined in claim 7 wherein said support includes a cup with a base of substantially the diameter of said disk and a central post defining therewith an annular spool chamber, said cooperating elements being mounted in said base. 

1. A thread-spinning machine with a plurality of dispensing units mounted in a row in a common spindle bank, comprising: an integral elongate structure supported on said bank, said structure being subdivided into longitudinally adjoining portions of substantially square outline forming respective housings for said units; a plurality of hollow rototable spindles rising centrally into said housings from said bank; a throwoff disk rigid with each spindle at the bottom of its housing; a tubular spool support carried on each spindle above said disk with all-around separation from the inner peripheral wall surface of the respective housing; guide means in each housing for drawing thread from a spool on said support and directing said thread downwardly therethrough along the axis thereof, said disk having a hollow hub accessible from the interior of the associated spindle for receiving said thread and a lateral orifice for the discharge of said thread along the underside of the disk; drive means for rotating said spindles along with their throwoff disks whereby said thread balloons about its spool on being drawn upwardly past the rim of said disk, said inner peripheral wall diverging upwardly from an annular gap around said disk to an extent sufficient to remain out of contact with the ballooning thread; magnetic retaining elements embedded in said structure at respective corners of said substantially square outline of said portions near the bottoms of said housings; and cooperating magnetic elements on the spool supports in said housings respectively confronting said retaining elements for preventing rotary entrainment of said supports by said spindles.
 2. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein each unit includes two pairs of said magnetic retaining elements and two confronting pairs of said cooperating elements disposed at the diagonals of said substantially square outline.
 3. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said peripheral wall is of circular outline in the region of said disk and define therewith said annular gap.
 4. A machine as defined in claim 3 wherein said peripheral wall is faired into a prismatic shape above the level of said disk and said retaining elements.
 5. A machine as defined in claim 4 wherein the prism defined by said peripHeral wall has a square outline with an inscribed circle of larger diameter than said gap.
 6. A machine as defined in claim 4 wherein a side of the prismatic peripheral wall between adjoining units is raised above the remainder of said housing and beyond the top of said support, the housings of two adjacent units being separated by said raised side.
 7. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said cooperating magnetic elements is disposed within the contour of the respective disk.
 8. A machine as defined in claim 7 wherein said support includes a cup with a base of substantially the diameter of said disk and a central post defining therewith an annular spool chamber, said cooperating elements being mounted in said base. 